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Burma Bazaar was established by Burmese immigrants, who were Tamil refugees who fled Myanmar during the early 1960s.[1] The government set aside land for the Tamil refugees returning from Burma during the 1960s. The bazaar is run by the Burma Tamizhar Marumalarchi Sangam, an association that has been set up to look after the interests of the traders since 1966.[2]

The bazaar extends to about a kilometre along the Chennai Beach railway station. There are an estimated 200 shops in the bazaar. With several passengers coming out of the station every few minutes, the market appears busy all the time. It is estimated that over 100,000 people pass through this corridor every week.[2]